In The Weeds
Welcome to "In The Weeds"!
This week, we're talking with Maggie Craig, a Vision Fellow at the MV Commission researching the possibilities of biologically active char to address the many intersecting crises of our time, from soil fertility to water quality to invasive species.
How did you first learn about biochar?
I first heard about biochar when I worked for the Forest Service in southern Oregon, an area shaped by the timber industry, threatened by forest fires, and home to some epic old-growth stands. Later, I wrote an article for the Capital Press about an oak restoration project that thinned conifers to make biochar on site with flame-cap kilns. The project was so inspiring, I got bit by the “biochar bug.”
What are the benefits of biochar?
Biochar, or “biologically active charcoal,” has a unique structure that makes it a powerful tool in many ways. It can hold nutrients and water, making it act like a fertilizer battery in the soil. It improves soil fertility, increases crop yields, retains water while improving drainage, reduces soil acidity, and increases plant disease resistance. It is mostly carbon, meaning more carbon in the ground and less emitted in the atmosphere.
Biochar can divert resources from the waste stream at every step of its life cycle. The island landscape demonstrates how we can tap nutrients in the wastestream at every step of biochar’s life cycle.
Tell us more about your Vision Fellowship!
I work with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to educate people about biochar, give flame-cap kiln demonstrations and explore biochar’s potential applications on the island, as well as the obstacles to incorporating a larger scale system.
I work with farmers, contractors, arborists, land and water conservation stewards to source woody debris for flame-cap kiln demonstrations and strategize the best biochar applications for plant growth at Island Grown Initiative. I work with a team of scientists to collect data on kiln emissions and efficiency in experiments hosted by John Keene Excavation.
There are so many partnerships to the fellowship, including: Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, MV Shellfish Group, South Mountain Company, Biodiversity Works, North Tabor Farm, Native Earth Teaching Farm, Allen Farm, Friends of Manuel Correllus State Forest, Polly Hill Arboretum, with more in the pipeline.
What makes biochar a good solution here on the island?
Biochar can help address so many interrelated problems on the island. It improves soil fertility, making farms and gardens more productive and resilient to drought and blights. Biochar is an environmentally-friendly substitute for fertilizers. Biochar sequesters carbon in the soil for centuries, helping the island reach climate action goals. Making biochar out of material from forest thinning, landscaping, and construction means less invasives, less wood waste at the dump, less transportation costs and less fire risk.
Biochar may be able to filter contaminants like PFAS from water and also capture nutrients like nitrogen from runoff, which would help restore island waterways. Urine is the biggest source of nitrogen disrupting our coastal ecosystem. Biochar could be a useful additive in septic systems, as it holds nitrogen and bacteria that digest nitrogen. There is also a movement underway on the Cape to capture urine and use its nitrogen and phosphorus as a fertilizer. Farms in France, California and Vermont are doing this successfully. Biochar could be a powerful tool in that circular sanitation.
These problems actually show how abundant the island is. It is my hope that the island community gets to benefit from the rich landscape before it’s extracted for industrial profit. All of these benefits could mean restoration jobs that are well integrated with the island's well-being, by bolstering a circular economy that makes the island more self-sufficient.
How can people on the island access and use biochar?
You could buy it by the bag, but if you already have outdoor fires during your town’s burn period, you’re not far from making your own! Quench it with water before all the charcoal turns to ash, and you’ve got a little raw char to work with in your compost and garden. I like making it in flame-cap kilns because they are
more efficient, safe to use and pretty easy to make.
Curious about biochar? Come learn more at the following events:
Biochar Basics: Wednesday, April 24th from 4–5:30 PM at the West Tisbury Library
Biochar Workshop: Sunday, May 5th from 1–2:30 PM at the Ag Hall
Climate Action Fair Flame-cap Kiln Demonstration: Sunday, May 19th at the Ag Hall